Thursday March 28th, 2024
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KSA Opens World's Largest Clocktower

Saudi Arabia will be opening the Abraj Al-Bait tower, which houses the largest clock on earth, to the public later on this year, in a move that is expected to diversify touristic income in the conservative state.

Staff Writer

Oh my god! Saudi has something else to offer besides sand and a plethora of ridiculous rules that provide us with something to mock at fairly regular intervals! They'll be opening up their Abraj Al-Bait tower, the world's tallest clock tower, to the public later this year, so paying visitors can take a look at the inside workings of the clock.

The tower, which stands at 601 metres, overlooks the Grand Mosque in Mecca and has apparently helped to revive non-pilgrimage-related tourism in the city. While hundreds of thousands visit Mecca purely for the yearly Hajj, many visitors are now heading to the city and staying in one of the hotels in the Clock Tower complex to enjoy the view. Now, they can also take a look at the inner workings of the clock as well, after the October pilgrimage ends.

Commissioned by King Abdullah, the clock's dials are 39 metres across, kicking Big Ben's ass at more than five times the diameter of the London clock tower.